TOP TWELVE SHOTS of 2017

Omni Chandelier, Z'Gallerie, home decor, glam decor, Luxor Living and Style , Houston blogger, blog, Top Houston style, home decor

1.   CHANDELIER LOVER

Like most ladies, I absolutely love chandeliers!  When we decided to move into a new house in January, I struck a deal with my husband.  We could buy the house, which was about 10 years old, if he let me remodel the entire thing before we moved in. I didn’t want to drag it out over time while we were living there!

My vision included cramming as many chandeliers as possible into the house!  Since we had visited Paris earlier in the year, I decided to use the inspiration from the Palace of Versailles for our little Texas home! The remodel went very smooth and we were able to move in on time!  You can see some of the blog posts here!  

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2. HOME REMODELER

This is probably the fourth home I have gotten to revamp, and it gets easier each time!  This time, I really got to have fun and not worry about boring things such as resale potential!  My dad stated, “Well, that’s great as long as you don’t need to resell it,”  after seeing the beginnings of the work! LOL!  The saying goes, everything needs to be dull, safe, simple to help with selling potential….which I refer to as vomit. It was nice not having to worry about anything except what we want.

The other great thing was that my husband had literally no input! 🙂  It was heaven to not have to debate each little thing! There’s another link here. I had to have dog friendly flooring and furniture so those were really the only requirements.

As I sit here, almost a full year later, the entire decor part is complete and now I can focus on gardens and real life.

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3. BIRD WATCHER

It’s always been a desire of mine, to be able to get up close and personal on a fresh bird’s nest.  I’d always wanted to be able to watch the babies grow!  I finally got my chance when a few months after we moved into the new house, a bird made it’s nest in a pot on my front porch!

I checked it several times a day and got to photograph the babies as they grew for a few weeks! If birds are your thing, you can see the shots here!

hummingbird

4.  HUMMINGBIRD STALKER

I find it annoying when people always talk about how blessed they are. But OMG, I feel so blessed because I’ve always thought of hummingbirds as my favorite bird…and I have tons of them that I feed now!  I spend hours trying to photograph them, and finally got a few fun shots.  Not perfect or detailed, but they speak to my heart.

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5.  FASHION BLOGGER

I work for Johnny Was Clothing, a California brand that I love…so I blog about their clothes a lot. The shot above was actually showing off a custom dress that Eshakti  sent to me, along with a Johnny Was Biya coat that I love!  Although I have made some money from my blog this year, I am not one of those people that only shows you things that I want to earn a commission on by linking to an online shop.  If it’s something I think is cool, but won’t make a dime for me…so be it.  My blog is an ongoing commercial about clothing.  What is terrible is that I could provide a lot more content due to my ongoing new supply of clothing but time is an issue. For us, if I happen to be dressed and in the mood…we snap pictures. I want to do so much more writing and hopefully this year I can get better at a lot of things…blogging being one of them!

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6.  LASH BOSS

I finally got to do something I’ve always wanted to do!  I’ve started a new business in the cosmetics industry!  After researching strip lashes for years, I took the plunge and developed my own brand, Bosscat BeautyI designed two types of silk strip lashes and decided to start the business with one product, the Glam Edition Lash BoxThe fun part was getting set up and building the first product from start to finish. Social media advertising is also fun.  This next year will be about setting up retail accounts while also growing individual online sales to help promote brand awareness. I’m proud of my work so far and can’t wait to see how it goes in 2018!

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7.  CREATIVE DIRECTOR

One of the greatest jobs that I have with Bosscat is being able to create and design products that I  hope people love!  The above is just a first shot that I took for initial marketing once my boxes first came in! I will take a little time and get better at it, but it’s a start!

dogmom

 

8.  DOGMOM

Somehow I turned into a pink loving, flamingo floating, bleach blonde, dog mom. I think it’s funny as hell.  I wanted to include this cell phone picture because it is so real.  This past summer, each afternoon for an hour, I would try to relax outside with the girls.  They love getting on floats and we just hang out and watch the birds and squirrels. It’s a little bit lonely at times to have such a simple life, but at the same time, I love peace and quiet so it’s really a cool life.

 

9. JAZZY LOVER

Being a dogmom, really started with adopting my Jazzy about 16 years ago.  She was skinny, small, not too outgoing of a personality.  She looked me straight in the eyes though, so I adopted her for the connection and her desire to understand.  We knew she didn’t have much longer, so we took all three girls on a #dogcation  a few months before she died.  She had an accidental death three days after we moved into the new house. It has not been a year yet.  I loved her and gave her a safe home for 16 years and try not to think about her accident.  She was a great little dog and this year I had to say goodbye.

pet cemetary, home pet memorial,

10. PET CEMETARY GROUNDSKEEPER

If you read #9….then you get why I created a Pet Cemetary in my yard!  It’s my little special place to honor Jazzy’s life and respect her with a memorial garden while having a great prayer spot at the same time!  I’ve never shared a peak before.  This next spring my biggest project will be my back yard.  It’s freezing right this minute and probably killing my palms and fruit trees so a big clean up will be in order.

Bosscat Beauty, Luxor Living and Style, Glam Edition Lash Box, silk lashes, American lashes

 

11.  WANNABE YOUTUBER

I started making a few videos again, due in part to the new Bosscat venture!  It is so hard to try to come off as your true self, and look ok, and have fun!  The thing is, that it really is fun to make videos if you have the time to put in!  This year is going to take some serious time management in order to meet my personal goals! It would be so neat to be interesting enough to do well at videos but not sure if that’s in the cards!

 

12. MAKEUP ARTIST

I made time to do makeup on a new friend this past year! I met her through work and really like her so we took a day to play! Nothing feels better than doing what you love and spending time with nice people so it was a high point for me! Leilani is a total ray of sunshine!

 

In closing…these are just a few simple pictures that help show my year, and what is important to me.  Well, some of the things anyway!  I also love President Trump, Jesus and my husband. We’re not supposed to talk about politics or serious things because we want to appear neutral.  It’s very hard to pretend to be neutral when there’s so many serious issues in the world and my conservative belief system is not in line with the previous status quo.

It irritates me when a woman mentions Trumps “ridiculous tax reform bill” which was only “for the rich” and he’s only President “to make more money for himself.” Most people who bitch about the tax reform agenda have not processed their own tax return or run a business so how would they know about tax code ?  So yes…it’s very hard to stay neutral a lot of the time.  I hope to branch out a bit and share more in the future.  Blogging is very therapeutic!

Let’s have a great 2018, everyone!

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SIX SHOTS for SEPTEMBER 2017

 

Bosscat Beauty, American lashes, American lash brand, animal friendly beauty, Glam Edition Lash Box, Vegan Lashes, silk lashes, glam lash, luxury lashes, Luxor Living and Style, Texas lashes,

 

This past month, most of my efforts were applied to launching my animal friendly beauty brand, Bosscat.  The first product is the Glam Edition Lash Box!  I decided to use a few of the pictures we have so far involving that! The product is just now beginning to hit the streets so it’s great to see these lashes on other people!

I will look at growth and where we are at this time next year before launching more products!  In the meantime, making videos is a renewed focus as I work on the marketing outreach! The link is above if you are a lash connoisseur ! Please feel free to follow the links on the Bosscat website if you want to see more social media!

As for blogging, there are more fashion posts coming soon, I have a renewed energy and focus and can’t wait to share!

Bosscat Beauty, American lashes, American lash brand, animal friendly beauty, Glam Edition Lash Box, Vegan Lashes, silk lashes, glam lash, luxury lashes, Luxor Living and Style, Texas lashes,

 

Bosscat Beauty, American lashes, American lash brand, animal friendly beauty, Glam Edition Lash Box, Vegan Lashes, silk lashes, glam lash, luxury lashes, Luxor Living and Style, Texas lashes,

Bosscat Beauty, American lashes, American lash brand, animal friendly beauty, Glam Edition Lash Box, Vegan Lashes, silk lashes, glam lash, luxury lashes, Luxor Living and Style, Texas lashes, Stephanie Sjobeg, Houston make up artist Bosscat Beauty, American lashes, American lash brand, animal friendly beauty, Glam Edition Lash Box, Vegan Lashes, silk lashes, glam lash, luxury lashes, Luxor Living and Style, Texas lashes, Bosscat Beauty, American lashes, American lash brand, animal friendly beauty, Glam Edition Lash Box, Vegan Lashes, silk lashes, glam lash, luxury lashes, Luxor Living and Style, Texas lashes, Stephanie Sjoberg, Luxor Living and Style

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BLACK SUMMER 2017

Johnny Was Kimono, over 40, Kate Spade Earrings, black tank swim suit, swim suit, pool side, cover up, black nails
Johnny Was Kimono, over 40, Kate Spade Earrings, black tank swim suit, swim suit, pool side, cover up, black nails,
Johnny Was Kimono, over 40, Kate Spade Earrings, black tank swim suit, swim suit, pool side, cover up, black nails, embroidery

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Johnny Was Kimono, over 40, Kate Spade Earrings, black tank swim suit, swim suit, pool side, cover up, black nails, Stephanie Sjoberg, over 40 bloggers, over 40 swim suit, Kate Spade Earings, Tiffany & Co bracelet, gold jewelry, swim suit over 40
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Kate Spade earrings, David Yurman ring, gold coin necklace, pool glam, over 40 bloggers, white blonde,

Black is for summer. Especially pool side because its so forgiving! Typically, when I get home from work, I throw on a swim suit – typically the black “Granny” suit you see above. I then go outside to water my flowers and plants, let the girls float on their floats – sometime I do it with them, and together we suck what daylight, peace and joy is left out of the day!

I actually bought one of those huge pink swan floats and the dogs get excited when I get a towel and drag it to the pool. Its very undignified but its relaxing and it has become our thing. Of course we take pictures for proof of our fun together, but it’s so eccentric in appearance to be sunbathing on a swan float with dogs, wine and catching up on the day’s infowars.com Youtube videos…

The black Johnny Was Kimono is a summer staple for me. I wore it to work over a sheer, black mini dress, then threw it on while outside over the black swim suit. As to the mini dress… it’s just a few inches above the knee.  I have about 1 1/2 more years before my knees will sag to the point of needing to be concealed forever, unless I get a knee-tuck.) Its versatile, light weight and has great colored embroidery. I try to not totally fry my transparent skin in the sun, so its a perfect cover until the sun goes down!

My husband came out, and we decided to shoot a mini blog post in 5 minutes and I literally still had on the large Kate Spade earrings because I had simply not removed them yet! They are super light and I think they are fun!

It is getting super difficult to take blog photos lately. I am trying to make it about the items and not about me because I am not that interesting or lovely.  There are a lot of posts on decor or other things that do not require I be in photos and that makes me happy.

Initially, when I started the site,  I had decided that there would be no future run for a senate seat so I could post whatever I like and it wouldn’t matter in the end.  However, I am beginning to feel over qualified for a seat somewhere after seeing the insane ramblings of people such as Nancy Pelosi, Maxine Waters and Sheila Jackson Lee.   And where is the part in which they pack up and go home?  Maxine Waters is 78.  She’s been accused of ethics violations in the past, which basically all stem around using her position for personal gain. Yet, she continues to throw out baseless claims and shout “impeachment” about Trump. I do not think she knows what impeachment actually is, based on her interviews about the subject. At a certain point, these people need to be shown the door. A cognitive understanding assessment needs to be given to people past a certain age, period.  For her to question his mental health, s insane when she exhibits less mental capacity than he does by far.

Interestingly enough, a bill is to be introduced by Rep Ted Lieu to subject the president to mental health evaluations.  I wonder if they realize this should be across the board? A lot of people wouldn’t have positions anymore, and that would be a great thing.

Enjoy your summer and try to suck a little joy out of every day!
-SDS

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TOP TWELVE SHOTS of 2016

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This year was the best year of my entire life. We all go through those times where it seems as if absolutely nothing we do works out.  This year wasn’t that.  This year was fabulous! I mean…I quit working out every week and therefore gained 10 pounds…but other than that…evil was thwarted on every level so it ended up being an amazing year!

There was a trip to Paris with a sweet, kind-hearted man who is in love with me, a job that I enjoy, a precious new little fur baby who needed a loving home, and a purchase of a dream home which we are now in the middle of remodeling before we move in the first week of January!

Life is hard. It’s a mine field at times. One wrong move and you can blow yourself up. I can’t imagine what having two fabulous years in a row would be like…but I’m poised and ready for 2017. Despite what a bitter Michelle Obama said about America not having hope anymore because Hillary didn’t win, I’ve never heard of a First Lady saying such a petty, shitty thing about the future President and First Lady…but I do have hope.

For 2017, I will plow ahead, and try to be happy and do better in all aspects of my life.  I will eat less, save more, love better, learn new things, take more time for gardening, cooking and resting. I will not eat candy after my morning health shake. I will post more frequently on my site.  I will start a small business I’ve been working on all year. Oh gosh, I feel busy already, but life is a business and should be run as such if you want to succeed in things big and small.  There can’t be 3 hours a day wasted in front of the T.V.  I have realized that spare time is so hard to come by, that you almost have to plan out your free time…which defeats the purpose of free time.

There is a Saturday Night Live spoof on Ivanka Trump, in which Margot Robbie says, “Every day I schedule 20 minutes of fun.”  It was so funny because it seemed so true! You have to schedule your fun because time is so hard to come by.

I love my blog because it is everything that I love…and I am sticking with it another year! I am excited to share the new home remodel because I am doing exactly what I want. No beige tile for me! My soul craves marble, crystal , mirrors and gold, and so it shall be.  My dad said, “Only fancy people put in flooring like that.”  Exactly, I thought. Paris and Versailles are a decor influence on this latest project so it’s going to be fun sharing with everyone.

I still am a cosmetics mini-guru and I’m working on some things this year that will be fun. I hope to make more videos this year, that is super fun!

Here are some highlights from 2016 and I hope you come back for 2017! Thank you for coming!

-SDS

December 31, 2016

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Cafe de Flore, Paris, travel spot in France,

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POP OF FUN

IMG_3506-1Johnny Was dress, Gianni Bini shoes, red shoes, Johnny Was bag, David Yurman ring

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How often does one have life events which call for a very sheer, white fringed dress?  Hardly never. There’s no good way to wear a bra with such a dress, so I opted for a scarf so I wouldn’t be too exposed.  Then there’s the shoes. I have worn them once. But my husband loves them so I threw them on as well.  Then there’s the bag, which already had everything in it…so I grabbed it and ran out the door.

We were only going mattress shopping so there was no one else to impress. It turned out to be a whimsical and fun outfit so I thought I’d post it.

-SDS

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boho fashion blog Prada red bag, Houston blog bluebird6

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